Friends With Benefits
by MarciaRebafan
Summary: When Reba is left alone at the house and Barbra Jean has moved to Little Rock, there is only one friend left for Reba to lean onto. Even though she doesn't want to... Rated M for following chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"Monkey's butt… a big monkey's butt, that's what he is!" Reba Hart entered the house and slammed the front door, throwing her briefcase on the couch. "Jake, I'm home." She called towards the stairs, but no reply came down to her. With a long sigh she walked to the phone and hit the answering machine button, removing her jacket in the process.

"There are five new messages." The recorded voice announced.

Reba walked into the kitchen as the first message went off, "Hey mom, sorry I didn't call yesterday, I've been busy with stuff at the dorm…" Kyra's voice filled the air and Reba smiled as she took a bottle of water out of the fridge and drank some of it. "…things here are great, my roommate is quite nice and the place is awesome. Today I had my first music class, I really can't believe that I am attending college and I'm lovin' it!"

Reba chuckled and moved back into the living room, sitting down on the couch.

"So, how are things at home? Do you miss me?" Kyra let out a small chuckle and Reba smiled, "As weird as it may sound, I do miss you… don't tell anyone though, I have a reputation to live up to!" Kyra laughed a little and the sound brought tears to Reba's eyes.

Ever since Kyra had left for college she had been missing her a lot. It wasn't the first time they were apart, but it was different. There was no way she could go three houses down the street and see her baby, she was living in another state now. And she wasn't exactly her baby anymore either, she should have known that. She was a young woman and she was pursuing her dream, that was all she ever wanted. But still Reba wished she could be with her at home again.

"…and Van apparently likes country music even though he picks on you about it all the time. I talked to him and Cheyenne earlier and he asked me if I had seen Dolly Parton around… now, he might be interested in something else other than her music, but still…"

Reba laughed at her daughter's remark and wiped away a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Anyway, Cheyenne told me you haven't been so good lately, have you told your doctor about your bloodpressure going crazy again? Maybe he can give you something to keep it down… Just try not to stress too much and have a nice evening, mom… I'll call you tomorrow when I'm done with moving in… First weekend in Tennessee, sounds cool. Love ya!"

Reba heard the noise signalling that the message was over and she smiled at Kyra's words, then her smile faded away when she thought about what she said Cheyenne told her.

"Why can't anybody just mind their own business in this family?" She hissed, rolling her eyes.

Her bloodpressure wasn't really that bad, sure she had been sick more than usual lately, and she had fainted once at work, but that was because of her boss being a monkey's butt and she not being able to tell him that. She had to keep it all in if she wanted to keep her job, and that wasn't healthy for her, so she had been sick a couple of times, nothing to really worry about.

"Hey mom, it's me…" Jake's voice replaced Kyra's, dragging Reba out of her thoughts. "…I left you a note on the counter, but I know you probably didn't see it, so I'm leaving a message too. I'm spending the night at Joey's like we planned yesterday. I'll be home for lunch tomorrow. Love you."

Jake's voice faded away and Reba nodded slightly: she totally forgot that she had given Jake the permission to spend the night at his friend's house, so it was just her tonight.

"Great… just great…" She muttered, resting her head on the back of the couch and closing her eyes.

"Hi mom, I wanted to remind you that Van and I are taking the kids to the waterpark for the weekend…" Cheyenne's voice rang in her ears and Reba let out a long sigh. "…If you need anything just call dad, he said he is gonna be in town. Have a nice evening. We love you!"

An explosion of voices came from the machine and Reba smiled lovingly as she heard her daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law yelling into the phone.

Their voices, though, were soon replaced by a deep, male voice and Reba rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling when her ex-husband started to speak, "Hey Reba, it's Brock… I don't want to bother you, but it's pretty late and you're not home yet… Jake told me he is going at Joey's, he said you are okay with that… I hope you are fine, call me when you get home, Cheyenne asked me to look after you and I'm getting worried… Well… I'll talk to you later, I hope…"

Reba rolled her eyes as his voice faded away. As much as she loved her daughter, Cheyenne could really do things to get on her nerves, sometimes. She didn't need someone to look after her, she was perfectly fine on her own, she didn't need anyone. And if she was home later than usual, it was perfectly fine, "Why do they keep-"

"Hey Reebs! It's me, Barbra Jean… How are you, best friend? I'm sorry I didn't have time to call you lately, Henry and I needed time to settle down and I've been very very busy at the TV station. How are things over there? We miss you a lot, I wish we could see you more often or talk more on the phone… Though Brock always tells us about you when he calls to talk to Henry… He told me about the hunky real estate agent you went out with last Friday, for example… What is his name? Anyway, Brock said he is hot and he was jealous as heck when he…"

Reba giggled as Barbra Jean went on babbling, since she divorced Brock and moved to Little Rock with Henry, Reba had been missing her. Both of them actually, because she had grown to love little Henry almost as much as her own children, and she had been sad when Barbra Jean said they were moving out. She too wished they could see each other more often, but she definitely wasn't going to tell Barbra Jean that.

"…and so I told him- Oh wait… Henry has got something to tell you…"

Reba smiled and pulled her legs to her body, curling up on her couch as the little boy's voice echoed in the quiet living room, "Hi Reba! Erm…I wanted to tell you something… I made a picture for you at school, today… Mrs. Kendall said that we should make a picture of a person that we don't see often and that we miss, like a grandpa or a grandma or both, and then we should write who they are and why we miss them and I made a picture of you and daddy in front of your house. Mrs. Kendall said my picture was the best and mommy said she likes it too and she will put it on the computer and send it to you on Monday from her office… will you call me when you see it? I love you…"

Reba felt her heart melt with tenderness and she heard noises as Henry gave the phone back to Barbra Jean.

"Isn't he cute? I'll e-mail the picture to you on Monday along with the description of it. I gotta go now, have a nice evening." She hung up and Reba smiled getting up and stretching her back.

She let out a yawn and walked towards the stairs. She was tired and not hungry at all so she figured she would just go to bed and relax a little, she felt kind of light-headed and hoped that laying down would help her get rid of the feeling.

She had just set her foot on the first step when the phone started to ring.

"Craaaaap…" Reba rolled her eyes and stood there for a second, debating whether she should pick it up or just let it ring. Then she shrugged and moved a few steps up, "That is what the answering machine is for, I'll just let it ring…" She told herself, slowly going up the stairs, waiting for the machine to go off.

"Hi, this is Reba Hart. At the moment I'm not here, leave a message and I will decide if you're worth calling back. Bye!"

Reba chuckled at her own voice and stood still for a second, waiting for whoever was calling to say something.

"Reba, it's me again. Please, if you're there pick up the phone, you're making me worried. I just want to know if you are okay…" Brock's voice came out of the phone and Reba rolled her eyes, turning around to down the stairs again. She'd better pick up and talk to him if she didn't want him to come over at her house.

As soon as she went a couple of steps down the stairs, though, she felt very light-headed again and she was forced to grasp the banister to keep her balance.

"What-" She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again slowly, trying to fight the urge to throw up as she was dizzy and sick again.

She took a deep breath and moved her foot down.

The last thing she heard was Brock calling her name. Then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank y'all for the awesome reviews!! I hope you will like this chapter as well!!

* * *

Brock let out a long sigh and put the phone down, leaning heavily against the couch and closing his eyes.

The fact that Reba wasn't answering the phone meant that either she wasn't home at all or she didn't want to talk to him, and he didn't like any of those options. Actually there was one more option he didn't really want to think about because it involved Reba being so sick to not being able to answer the phone, and that scared the crap out of him.

Cheyenne had been very apprehensive when she had asked him to look after her mother and as much as he knew how Cheyenne tended to be overdramatic, still he couldn't get rid of the feeling that Reba was in trouble.

Lately she hadn't been feeling too well, they all were able to see that, and the idea of her being completely alone at the house, with her bloodpressure bound to shoot up every minute, it just wouldn't leave him alone.

He still cared about her, that was obvious. He kept telling himself and the others that Reba was just a friend, his best friend but still just a friend, but he knew deep in his heart that there was more between them. As much as he tried to love Barbra Jean as best as he could, she was never able to take Reba's place in his heart. And he didn't want to imply anything by thinking that, but he actually had started to believe that Reba's presence had affected his marriage with Barbra Jean.

That wasn't to say he blamed Reba or anything, he knew she probably never even realized how much of an effect she had on him, she was so naïve when it came to that kind of things.

The thought brought a smile on his face and he opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling while his mind was crowded with thoughts of the beautiful redhead that still, unconsciously, owned his heart.

It was quite unbelievable but after they had been divorced for more than seven years he still felt the same about her that he did the first day he saw her. And just like that day, even though she was off-limits, he wouldn't leave her alone, no matter how hard she tried to push him away.

With a stubborn look on his face, Brock picked up the phone again and dialled Reba's number once again, closing his eyes for a second and sighing heavily when her recorded voice rang in his ear, "Hi, this is Reba Hart. At the moment I'm not here, leave a message and I will decide if you're worth calling back. Bye!"

Brock rubbed a hand over his face and sighed again before opening his eyes and starting to speak, "Reba, it's Brock once again. Please, if you're there pick up…"

"…that darn phone. I beg you, I'm sick worried about you…"

Reba awoke to the sound of Brock's concerned voice and brought her hand to head, where a throbbing pain was about to turn into a bad headache; then she opened her eyes and looked around her, only to find herself laying at the bottom of the stairs, her whole body aching.

"What the hell-"

She didn't remember much, only that she was going down the stairs to pick up the phone and that she wasn't feeling well.

"I must've fainted again and I fell down the stairs…" She muttered as she tried to get up, her body shaking a little. She didn't want to admit but she was scared.

She was totally alone in the house and something happened to her without anyone being there to help her. Fine, it didn't have any consequences up to now, but what if something like that happened again and she was really hurt?

She gripped the banister and stood on her feet, but was for less than two seconds, because she immediately felt dizzy again and fell backwards on the floor again, her ankle unable to support her weight.

"Craaaap…" She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, rubbing her ankle which was already swelling and didn't look all that good.

"Reba, if you want pick up this phone in the next ten seconds I'm gonna jump in the car and drive over to the house. Ten… nine… eight… seven…"

Reba rolled her eyes again and laid back down on the floor, staring at the ceiling, "As much as I hate the idea, hurry…" She called to the phone.

"…four… three… two…"

"The only time in my life that I need someone's help, my ex-husband is the only one in town…" She muttered. "How great is that?" She moved her leg a little and hissed in pain.

"…okay, I'll be right there." Brock hung up and hurried to the door, grabbing his jacket and keys on the way and running to the car.

"Would be about time…" Reba muttered again. "I can't lay down on this floor forever."

The drive from his condo to Reba's house usually took Brock about twenty minutes.

It took him seven minutes tonight.

When he got out of the car he was even more worried than earlier, not knowing what to expect inside.

He ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked.

"What the-" Frowning, he started to ring the doorbell and call her name, "REBA… REBA… RE-"

"Brock…" Reba's voice reached him from inside and he immediately stopped his actions and sighed in relief. "Brock… I can't quite get up… Do you mind coming in through the backdoor?"


	3. Chapter 3

After hearing Reba's words, Brock quickly made his way to the back yard, running up to the back door while his heart was pounding in his chest.

He knew he should have been calmer now that he had heard her voice, but her words still worried him. A lot.

"Reba?" He practically ran into the house, his heart skipping a few beats when he saw her stretched out on the floor, looking up at him with her head bent back. "Oh God, are you okay, honey?" He rushed over to her and knelt down next to her, gently stroking her hair.

"Don't you 'honey' me!" She slapped away his hand and glared at him. "Just help me up, will you?" She lifted her upper body, leaning on her elbows and waiting for him to stand up again.

He didn't stand up, though, he just kept staring at her, a worried look still on his face, "What happened? Was it your bloodpressure again? Are you-"

"Oh, just shut up and help me!" Reba harshly cut him off and held out her hand for him to take it and help her up.

With a long sigh Brock got up and took her hand, slowly staring to pull her on her feet.

"Thank you." She grabbed his hand and held onto it as she slowly got on her feet. "I don't know what's wrong, I fell down the stairs and now there must be some trouble with my ankle, I- What the hell are you doing?" She almost screamed as he quickly swept her off the ground and into his arms.

"Something is wrong with your ankle and you couldn't even get up on your own, am I supposed to let you walk around?" He looked at her and shook his head, scoffing and shifting her weight in his arms a little.

Reba looked up at him and tried to pull away as soon as being so close to him and being able to listen to his steady heartbeat made it difficult for her to breathe properly, "I can walk, you mo-ron!"

"Oh you can, can you? Fine…" Brock smirked to himself and put her down on her feet again, holding back a chuckle when she hissed in pain and immediately wrapped her arm around his shoulders for support.

"I just need a little help, but I can walk…" She repeated, glaring at him as he actually let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah, right… Come on…" He laughed a little as he picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the couch, sitting down on it so that she was now sitting on his lap.

"Wow… doesn't look good…" He mumbled as he gently touched her swollen ankle, removing her high-heeled shoe.

"Ow!"

"Sorry…" He gave her a little smile, looking up at her with his puppy dog eyes.

Reba rolled her eyes and sighed, but still she couldn't help smiling at his sweet face. Only for a second, though.

"Okay, will you let me go now?" She tried to fake an annoyed tone, but he only smiled at her useless attempt to pretend annoyance.

"Sure, wanna run away?" He mocked her. "Don't forget your shoe… Pretty sexy, by the way…"

She blushed violently and smacked his chest, glaring at him again, "Do you think this is funny? My ankle hurts and I can't walk, does that make you want to laugh?"

Brock looked down a little, "Nope… sorry…" He looked up again and Reba nodded.

"Apology accepted, now let me go." She quickly said, trying to get out of his embrace.

"I think you should go to the hospital, though… to check on your ankle…" He still held her close, looking at her.

She quickly looked away and tried to pull away again, "Nah, there's no need to… I probably just twisted it, I'll put some ice on it and I will be fine…" She hastily answered.

He paused for a moment, thinking about her answer. "Reba?"

"Yes?"

"There is more, isn't it?" Brock looked at her as she quickly shook her head.

"No no no, of course not…" She looked at him for a second and she met his eyes as he was staring into hers, waiting for her to be honest and tell him the truth.

"Oh all right!" She sighed and looked down again. "There is more…" She started to unconsciously play with the hem of her top, still not looking at him, "I wasn't feeling too well…"

"And…?" He looked at her and leant against the back of the couch. "Go ahead, we have plenty of time…"

"And I fainted while I was going down the stairs, okay? I felt dizzy and then I just passed out." She blurted out, her patience running short.

"So it was your bloodpressure again?"

"Probably."

Brock just sighed and nodded, and there was a few minutes of silence between them before he just got up with her in his arms, "Okay, we're going to the hospital."

She gasped in surprise and tried to pull away again, "What? No wait, there's no need to, really, I'm fine…"

He stopped halfway to the door and looked into her eyes with a serious look on his face, "Just shut up and do what I say, will you?"

A few hours later they were back from the hospital, Reba's foot in a cast.

Apparently it was a little more serious than a simple twisted ankle, the doctors had found it was broken and she had to keep the cast for a couple of weeks. Plus, they wanted to monitor her bloodpressure for the next 24 hours, so they had to put a little machine on her arm to monitor every change in her bloodpressure.

As soon as he stopped the car in her driveway, Brock jumped out of it, hurrying to the other side and opening the door for Reba, handing her two crutches she was supposed to walk around with.

"Thanks." She muttered, glaring at the objects he was handing her but still taking them and getting out of the car.

Reba slowly made her way to the door and Brock followed closely behind, watching her every step for fear that she might trip over something.

"Are you okay?" He asked when he saw her stop on the stairs in front of the porch and take a deep breath.

"Oh geez, I don't know, let me check." Reba pointed at her foot and shot him a sarcastic smirk, then she sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired…"

He smiled a little and patted her shoulder, "It's okay, now you'll just sit down on the couch and relax and I'll make you some tea, okay?" He opened the door for her and she slowly stepped in, walking over to the couch and letting herself fall on it.

"You don't have to do that, I'm fine… you should go home and rest…" She called to the kitchen after he had disappeared in it, already setting a pot on the stove.

"No, it's no problem at all… I want you to be okay and I'm sure not in a hurry to go back to the condo…" He took two cups out of a cabinet, 'Because that is not home…' He thought with a sigh, pouring the tea in the cups and adding sugar before walking back in the living room.

"Here you go." He smiled and handed a cup to Reba, sitting down on a chair across from her.

"Thank you." She smiled a little and took a sip of tea, leaning back against the couch and resting her leg on the table in front of her with a long sigh.

"How are you feeling?" Brock watched every movement, concerned.

"It hurts, but I'll live." She took another sip of tea and smiled.

"And the heart?" He asked in the same tone.

"Still beating, don't worry." Reba couldn't help herself and she chuckled a little, "Sorry…"

"It's okay…" He smiled when he saw her yawn, "Are you tired?"

She just nodded and set her cup on the table, bending back her head and closing her eyes, "I think I'll go to bed now…" She slowly opened her eyes and leant onto her crutches as she got on her feet, but she turned back to him after a quick glance at the staircase, "Erm… Brock?"

"Yes?" He smiled, knowing what was going to come next.

"Could you help me up the stairs please?" She gave him a little guilty smile and Brock felt his heart melt as he got up.

"Sure." He walked up to her and picked her up in his arms, holding her crutches as she started to walk up the stairs.

"Hey! I can walk, I just need a little help…" Reba tried to stop him, pounding lightly on his shoulder.

"You used to love it when I carried you around."

"I used to be married to you." She gave him a meaningful look and he put her down as soon as they were in the hallway.

Reba smiled a little and quickly patted his shoulder, "Well, thank you for your help, Brock, you really are a good friend." She started to walk towards her bedroom, then she turned around again, "Oh, don't forget to-"

"Lock the door, don't worry." Brock winked.

Reba smiled, "Thanks. Goodnight." She walked into her bedroom and started to undress as she heard his steps down the stairs, then she walked in the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.

At the same time, Brock was walking upstairs again to check on her after locking the door. He knocked on her bedroom door and when he got no answer, he peaked his head inside, "Reba?"

Reba screamed and almost jumped out of her skin when she saw him standing in the doorframe, "Brock, are you nuts? What the hell are you doing still here? You scared the crap out of me!" She brought a hand to her chest and glared at him.

"Sorry… I…don't…" He stuttered, startled by her reaction.

Reba took a deep breath, "I told you to-"

"Lock the door, I did!"

"Yeah, on your way out!"

He looked at her, confused, "Wait… who said I was gonna go out?"


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Reba stared at him, feeling speechless for a second before she glared at him and started to yell, "Are you crazy? Of course you are going out! I'll tell you more, you're gonna go out now! What were you thinking coming into my room while I'm not decent?! Get out!" She grabbed her nightshirt and held it against her body, covering herself as she gave Brock a killer look.

Brock swallowed hard and forced himself to look away. He had been staring long enough for both his and Reba's taste. Even though he played it cool and calm, he couldn't deny that seeing her only clad in black, lacy underwear had an effect on him and he probably would need a cold shower before going to bed tonight. If he would have been able to sleep at all.

Lost in his thoughts and in the noisy chaos he could feel and hear in his mind, where conflicting voices gave him advice on what to do of the situation, he didn't see the high-heeled shoe flying towards him until it painfully hit his upper arm.

"Ouch!" He cried, rubbing his arm and looking at Reba in shock.

"Are you going to get out now or do you want me to throw the other shoe too?" She glared at him, holding the other shoe in her hand, ready to hit him again.

He held up his hands, stepping back, "I'm going, I'm going… Geez, Reba, calm down… Your bloodpressure must be-"

"GET OUT!" Reba yelled and threw the shoe at him, but he was faster than that and ran out of the room, letting the shoe hit the closed door in front of him.

Reba glared at the closed door and quickly got ready for the night, just in case he decided to come back in without warning.

Brock, on the other side, knew better than go back into her room without warning, after all he wanted to stay alive to see the sun rise the next day. "Honey, can I come back in?" He politely asked, leaning against the door.

"Don't you dare! And stop saying that!" Reba angrily replied.

"Saying what? Honey?" He pretended to be clueless and smirked when he heard her let out a frustrated sound.

"Stop it!"

"Okay, I'll stop it…" He chuckled a little. "I'm gonna set up Cheyenne's old room for the night, so-"

Reba opened the door just a bit and stuck her head out, glaring at him, "We have a perfectly comfortable couch down in the living room and-"

"We?" Brock raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but smirk.

Reba mentally kicked herself, "Yes… Kyra, Jake and I have a perfectly comfortable couch you will spend the night on."

"And what if you need me and I can't hear you because I'm not close enough?" He pointed out with a smug smile.

"I'll make sure to yell loud enough for you to hear me." She gave him a falsely sweet smile before slamming the door right on his face.

Brock chuckled to himself and started to walk towards the stairs when suddenly and idea came up to his mind: if she wanted to play with him then she should be ready to get the same treatment herself.

With a smirk on his face he went back to her room and knocked on the door.

Reba let out a sigh and went back to the door, opening it, "What?" She snorted, glaring at him.

He smiled, "Nothing, just wanted to say goodnight." And with that he seized his chance and leant over, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

It took Reba a couple of seconds to realize what had just happened, then she instinctively grabbed and threw at him the first thing in her reach, which unfortunately happened to be her purse.

Brock felt a heavy and pretty large item hit his shoulder and couldn't help but laugh a little as he caught parts of the insults Reba was yelling at him, before she slammed the door shut again.

Still chuckling, he picked up the item she had thrown at him, surprised to find out that it was her purse. Now a dilemma presented in front of him: should he go back to her and give her her purse, risking to be yelled at again, or should he rather keep the purse until morning and then give it to her, hoping she will calm down during the night?

'_You could take a look at it too… See what she keeps from you…'_ A voice in his head suggested, but he just shook it away and set the purse aside as he set up the couch for the night and laid down on it.

But as much as he tried to sleep and focus on something else, his gaze kept going back to the purse on the chair in front of him.

--

Meanwhile, in her bedroom, Reba was pacing just to avoid banging her head against the wall. How could she be so stupid? How could she throw her purse at him? Now he was probably going through it and laughing at all the things she had stuffed in it.

"Let's think clearly… There was lipstick, a pen, notebook with work stuff, Elizabeth's 'I love you' notes…" She started to list the things and smiled thinking of her granddaughter's lovely little notes. "…cell-phone, sunglasses, wallet… WALLET?!" She slapped her forehead and stopped pacing, starting to panic a little.

He was now probably looking into the wallet and finding the pictures she kept in it, and if he would ever confront her about that, she was sure there will never be a more embarassing moment in her life. How was she going to explain the picture in her wallet?

How was she going to explain that she threw her purse at him because she got distracted by the sweet, innocent kiss he gave her?

Innocent… maybe he intended it that way, but it hadn't been all that innocent to her. Even if his lips had touched hers for less than a second, that kiss had shaken her world and gave her a hard time breathing. Her heart jumped the very same moment she had felt his soft lips peck hers, and she hated the feeling, because it made her feel weak.

And what made her curse herself and her feelings even more was that she knew how he probably was just joking.

He was completely over her, she didn't mean anything to him anymore.

--

Brock rolled on his stomach on the couch and punched the pillow, trying to get comfortable enough to sleep, but apparently there was no way he could manage to fall asleep.

His thoughts kept drifting off to her purse and he felt like the item was secretly peaking at him, calling his name in his mind, asking for him to take a look. But he wouldn't do that, he respected Reba and should respect her privacy.

But what if there was something she was keeping from him? What if she still had feelings for him and he could find out by going through her purse? But wouldn't that have been unrespectful to her if he did?

Brock sighed heavily and rolled over again, staring at the ceiling.

What would happen if he did go through her purse? And what if he didn't?

With a sudden movement, Brock got up from the couch and walked to the chair, picking up the purse with trembling hands.

It was a simple, black, leather purse, that matched the heels she had been wearing today, but to him it was like a chest containing wonderful surprises. Or a horrible truth.

He sat back down on the couch and opened the purse, slowly taking a look inside. It looked like the common contents of a woman's purse were inside hers: work notebook, sunglasses, lipstick, cell-phone, wallet, everything seemed normal.

"What is that?" He murmured when he saw a stack of little heart-shaped notes, held together by a butterfly-shaped pin. He took them out of the purse and smiled at the childish handwriting, that he immediately identified as Elizabeth's.

"Dear grammy, I love you because you cook me breakfast." He read to himself, smiling tenderly.

Then he randomly picked another note and read it, "Dear grammy, I love you because you smell like roses and cookies." He smiled and nodded: that was one of the reasons why he loved her too. Plus that she was beautiful, and funny, and sweet, and caring, and sexy, and-

Chuckling to himself he shook his head and picked another note, "Dear grammy, I love you because you always play Hide-And-Seek with me." He could picture Reba playing with their granddaughter, it must be such a cute and funny scene. He remembered the way she used to play with their children, he always loved seeing her around kids, being a mom.

With a goofy smile on his face he went on reading the notes and when he was done he smiled to himself as he put the stack of notes back in the purse.

There were some he could relate to, like: _'Dear grammy, I love you because you always kiss me in the morning'_; and some that he just smiled at, like: _'Dear grammy, I love you because you give me Barbie dolls for Christmas'_; but all in all it had been a good reading.

Wiping the smile off his face he proceeded to go through the purse, quickly checking her notebook before deciding that it only contained work stuff and putting it aside along with her cell-phone: he might be acting like a jerk and going through her purse, but he still was going to respect her privacy, so her cell was off-limits.

With that thought he picked up her wallet, ready to put it aside as well, when something slipping out of it caught his attention.

Narrowing his eyes a little, Brock picked up the paper sheet fallen from the wallet, realizing that it was a picture. A picture of Reba and Elizabeth to be exact. And it was such a cute picture too: they were sitting on the treehouse, playing Barbie dolls, and someone must have taken a picture of them. Adorable.

Smiling, he decided to open the wallet, only to see if other pictures were inside of it.

As soon as he opened it, three pictures came falling down on the couch. One was a picture of Reba and Barbra Jean with Elizabeth and Henry, one was the whole family reunited for Elizabeth's birthday, and Brock was pleased to notice how Reba was standing close to him in the picture, and he remembered how he had wrapped his arm around her waist and she seemed okay with it. Smiling, he also remembered how Elizabeth had asked for them to kiss, and Reba had blushed, softly explaining to Elizabeth that grammy and grandpa couldn't kiss because they weren't married anymore.

It had been such a good day for them, though.

With his mind still crowded with thoughts of that afternoon, Brock put the picture away and picked up the last one, taking a look at it while his brain froze and he just kept staring at the colored paper in his hand.

What was Reba doing with a picture of them kissing on their wedding day in her wallet?


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

The next morning Reba woke up early, bothered by an excruciating pain in her ankle. With her eyes still closed she reached on the nightstand, looking for water and painkillers, but her hand only grabbed a bottle of water. No pills.

"Craaaap…" She mumbled as she slowly got on her feet, heavily leaning on her crutches and starting to move the first, uncertain steps towards the door.

Once she was in the hallway, she glanced at the staircase and gritted her teeth as she started to go down the stairs, groaning in pain and muttering under her breath step after step.

Slowly and noisily, she finally set her feet and crutches on the living room floor, walking straight into the kitchen, almost without even looking at Brock sleeping peacefully on the couch. She needed something to ease the pain in her ankle and she really wasn't in the mood for stopping by the couch and waste her time looking at him. Sure, she would happily waste her time hitting him because of all the things happened the night before, but she still needed painkillers, first.

Walking into the kitchen, she filled a glass with water and walked to a cabinet, quickly finding what she was looking for and swallowing a couple of pills. After she took the pills, she sat down for a while, letting them sink in and start to work as her gaze wandered over to the living room, stopping at the sleeping figure of her ex-husband and her purse set on the small table in front of the couch.

She still had to take it back, hoping that he hadn't gone through it already. She kept on staring at her ex-husband's figure, wondering if he would talk to her about anything she kept in her purse, or if he would apologize for kissing her the night before.

'But then that wasn't a real kiss… I wish it was…' She told herself. Then she shook her head as her eyes went big, "I wish it was? What am I thinking?!" She muttered, waiting for the pain to be a little less sharp before getting up and starting to walk into the living room.

"I'm gonna get my purse now, he will go away as soon as he's awake and that will be it. No one will ever bring it up again…" She mumbled as she approached the couch and tentatively stepped around it, trying to step into the narrow space between the couch and the table. When she felt one of her crutches suddenly get stuck around the foot of the table, though, she knew what was gonna happen.

Even before her body touched his, ending its fall on the couch and on top of him.

--

Brock jerked awake at the feeling of his breath being knocked out of his lungs as something, or someone, fell flat on his stomach; a female someone, given the softness he could feel on top of his chest.

"Crap…" Reba muttered and blushed as she tried to get off her ex-husband.

Brock smirked and looked up at her, "Missed me much, honey?"

Reba glared at him, "Shut up…" She hissed, moving her hand to the side of the cushion to lift herself up, but her hand slipped off the couch as soon as she put her weight on it, causing her to fall forward again, her lips inches far from his.

"Sorry…" She whispered, suddenly feeling awfully weak, her heart racing.

Brock's heart skipped a beat and he swallowed hard as he looked up at her kissable red lips. 'I'd want nothing better than just kiss her, right now… nibble at her bottom lip… hearing her moan in-' He quickly shook his thoughts away again and tried to focus on something else. 'Her lips must be so soft, though…' He told himself, still staring at her lips. 'Oh for Pete's sake, focus!'

He forced himself to look down, because he knew that looking up and into her eyes would be a mistake and he wouldn't be able to control himself anymore, but looking down wasn't the smartest idea either.

One of the straps of her nightshirt slid down her shoulder and Brock's breath got caught in his throat when he saw how beautiful and incredibly sexy she looked in that situation, unconsciously showing a glimpse of her cleavage to him.

"Erm…" He cleared his throat and lifted his hand, slowly putting the strap back in its place, "You may want to get up…"

Reba shivered when his fingers brushed against her skin, a shock running through her body as she tried to control her heartbeat, "Yep, I may…" She nodded, checking the straps of her nightshirt before carefully starting to move and sit back straight on the couch as Brock did the same.

The tension between them was evident and Brock took a deep breath before looking at Reba, who was staring down at her hands with her cheeks flushed.

"I'm sorry…" She started to say, glancing nervously up at him.

"It's okay…" He smiled a bit and quickly debated if he should take her hand or not, quickly choosing the latter.

"I was just trying to get my purse back…"

"I figured…" He nodded and took the purse from the table, handing it to her, "Here you go…"

She smiled a bit and took the item from him, their hands brushing together as she did so, "Thanks…"

"You're welcome…" Brock pulled his hand back and looked into her eyes.

Reba looked back at him, clutching her purse in her hands.

They just sat there staring into each other's eyes for the longest time, until they finally leant into each other at the same time.

Their lips brushed against each other's and they were too lost in the spell to hear the back door open, until…

"Hey mom… and… DAD?!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the long wait, I got really stuck with this story and didn't know how to go on. Hope you enjoy this!!**

* * *

Reba immediately pulled back, shocked to hear her son's voice, "Jake?! What are you doing here, honey?" She tried to sound cool and calm, but inside she was shaking. That was close. She didn't even want to think of what would have happened if Jake hadn't walked in on them.

Jake walked into the living room and looked at his parents sitting on the couch, clearly uncomfortable. What he didn't know was if they were uncomfortable with each other or with him. He didn't even want to think he might have walked in on something, it was just too disgusting to think his parents could be doing anything else than look at each other. "Joey's sister went into labor and they had to go to the hospital…" He explained, slowly walking around the couch. "They asked me if I wanted to go with them, but I have seen way too many childbirths already, for my taste…" He chuckled. "So, what- Mom, what happened to your leg?"

Reba smiled a little at the genuine concern on her son's face, "It's nothing serious, honey… I broke my ankle last night… I'll be fine…"

"You broke…how…? Where…?" Jake stared at his parents, completely shocked.

"It's nothing serious, Jake…" Brock finally spoke up once he was able to keep a steady tone of voice. "Your mom wasn't feeling too well and she fell down the stairs, nothing big…"

Reba quickly nodded and smiled, "And your father came to check on me and took me to the hospital…"

"And spent the night here…?" Jake asked suspiciously.

Reba swallowed hard, "Well…yes…" She glanced at Brock, silently asking for help.

"Here on the couch, son…" Brock quickly added.

Jake smiled and pulled his father in a hug, "Thank you, dad, I would have felt bad knowing mom was alone while she wasn't feeling good…"

Brock hugged him back and quietly sighed in relief, "No problem, buddy… I wouldn't have left her alone…" He smiled and patted Jake's shoulder. "Well… I guess it's time to go now, though… There is no need for me to stay, since you are home…" He glanced at Reba, who nodded slightly.

"No, wait dad… Why don't you stay for breakfast?" Jake looked at him and smiled.

Brock chuckled, "You just want someone to make you breakfast since your mother can't, don't you?"

Jake smiled somehow bashfully, "Wouldn't you?" He chuckled.

Brock laughed at his reply, then got more serious again as he saw the look on Reba's face, "Well, I don't think it would be a good idea anyway… Your mom will be tired, she should rest…"

"And your father will definitely have other things to do…" Reba added, nodding.

Jake looked between his parents and sighed, "Well, the problem is I have a soccer game to play in a couple of hours… and I don't want to leave you alone, mom…"

Reba smiled tenderly, "Aww, don't worry sweetie, I'll be fine…"

"Well, I can stay…" Brock cringed a little watching Reba's expression turn from sweet to killer. "I don't have anything to do anyway…"

"That would be awesome, dad, thanks…" Jake smiled and hugged his father again. "I'll go set the table in the kitchen."

Reba waited for him to be out of the living room before glaring at Brock, "You don't have anything to do?" She hissed.

"Nope, nothing at all…" He smirked.

She clenched her teeth and took a deep breath, "I swear I'll pay you back for this…" She mumbled, picking up her crutches and standing up to slowly make her way upstairs.

Brock watched her climb the stairs slowly and smiled, subconsciously noticing how cute she was when she was irritated. He was looking forward to spending the day with her, even though he knew she would have been sulky all day, but he could handle that if it was the only way to be close to her.

--

Still pouting, Reba slowly dragged herself into her bedroom and threw her purse on the bed, walking into the closet.

She still didn't know what the heck had gotten into her. What was she thinking, almost kissing her ex-husband? It was the stupidest thing she had done in quite a while, and thankfully her son had come into the room first, or else she didn't know where they would be now… Probably making out on the couch like two teenagers.

She knew it was dangerous to have Brock in the house, there still was a lot of unresolved feelings and attraction between them, the tension was evident and she didn't know if she would be able to resist the temptation. And what if she couldn't? What would they do if something happened? She didn't even want to think about it.

Shaking her head, she started to look into the closet for a skirt she could wear, since she wasn't able to wear pants with the cast on. Finally she pulled out a white skirt and a light blue top and walked back into the bedroom, starting to get dressed as she thought of a way to get rid of Brock.

"He can't stay here today too… it would be insane… not after what happened earlier, I won't take the risk to fall for him again…" She mumbled to herself. "But gosh, did he smell good…" She added with a sly smile, closing her eyes for a second. Then she shook her head quickly as soon as she realized what she said. "Wait a second, I can't say stuff like that… It's exactly because of thoughts like that one that I found myself in that embarrassing situation earlier, and I'm not gonna let it happen again…"

Nodding to her own words, she got dressed and slowly walked into the bathroom, to do her make-up and hair. Once she was done she checked herself in the mirror and smiled to what she saw. "It's not like I'm prettying myself up for him…" She told herself in a convincing tone. "I'm doing it because I like to…" She scoffed at her own words and shook her head, "Yeah, right…"

With a sigh she walked out of the bathroom and back downstairs, slowly making her way into the kitchen.

"Hey…" She smiled at her son sitting at the table.

"Hey mom…" Jake looked up for a second from the magazine he was reading, immediately turning his attention back to it.

Reba chuckled to herself and glanced at the other side of the kitchen, where Brock was busy with cooking. "Can I help you with something?" She asked softly. She had made up her mind and decided she would be nice and pleasant and maybe he would get tired of her agreeing with everything and would leave.

Brock turned around and smiled, "No, I can handle it… Just sit down, honey…"

"Don't 'honey' me…" She glared at him and sat down. So much for being nice and pleasant, but there was just so much she could take.

"Sorry…" Brock chuckled a little and flipped the pancake in the pan, moving it to a plate already filled with pancakes, then he put the pan in the sink and took the plate, bringing it over to the table. "Here you go…" He smiled, setting the plate down in the middle of the table.

"Thanks…" Reba mumbled, looking down, still a little sulky.

"Thanks, dad." Jake smiled and grabbed a couple of pancakes, putting them on his plate and pouring a generous amount of syrup on them before starting to eat.

"I wonder how he can eat so much and be so slim…" Brock chuckled and shook his head, sitting down across from Reba.

Reba couldn't help but chuckle a little, "He is young, he could eat a whole cow and not gain a pound…"

"I wish I could do that, but sadly everything I eat stays right here…" Brock laughed and patted his belly.

"You look pretty good to me…" Reba replied without thinking and her eyes went big as she mentally kicked herself.

An awkward silence fell between them and Jake looked at his parents, pretty much unaware of what was going on.

"I meant as in…" Reba started to explain but she couldn't really find the words. She meant as in what? She only meant as in 'I would like you even if you gained a thousand pounds', and she knew that. But she definitely wasn't going to tell him.

"I know, it's okay." Brock quickly added, trying to make it less awkward for the both of them. But did he know? Not really. He could only hope she meant that she still liked him, but he wasn't sure and he wouldn't keep his hopes too high.

"Good…" Reba's voice was barely more than a whisper as she looked down and resumed eating, trying not to look at him.

The phone suddenly started to ring and Reba instinctively started to get up, only to be stopped by Jake, "I'll get it…" He smiled and got up, walking to the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Jake, it's Cheyenne…"

Jake smiled, "Hey Cheyenne…where are you?"

"At the water park with the kids… Look Jake, I don't have much time, I tried to call mom yesterday but until late she wouldn't pick up… Is she there now?" Cheyenne's voice sounded worried, she had never been away from home without knowing where her mother was and to think she wasn't home until late night made her hysterical.

Jake nodded, "Yes, she's here… Don't worry Cheyenne, she's okay, she wasn't home until late last night because she was at the hospital-"

"THE HOSPITAL??" Cheyenne cut him off and started to pace nervously. "What happened? Is she okay? Why was she at the hospital?!"

Jake's eyes went wide as his sister started to shoot question after question and he quickly handed his father the phone, "She's hysterical, talk to her." He said, walking out of the kitchen.

Brock chuckled and took the phone, "Hey Cheyenne…"

"Dad! What are you doing there, what happened?" Cheyenne seemed even more worried as soon as she heard her father's voice, if he was there that meant something serious had happened.

"Cheyenne, calm down, it's nothing… I am here because Jake asked me to, and your mother just broke her leg. It's nothing serious, really…" Brock patiently explained.

Cheyenne took a deep breath, "How did it happen?"

"She fell down the stairs, she…" Brock quickly debated whether saying the whole story or omitting some details. He smiled when Reba hastily shook her head no. "…she slipped and fell down the stairs."

Cheyenne narrowed her eyes, "It was her blood pressure again, wasn't it?"

Brock sighed and turned to Reba, shrugging, "She got it…" He mouthed, covering the phone with his hand.

Reba rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Dad?"

"Yes, it was her blood pressure, Cheyenne." Brock patiently answered.

"And why weren't you gonna tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you to freak out."

"Oh…" Cheyenne paused for a second, thousands of questions crowding her mind. "Well, what did the doctors say at the hospital?"

"They are keeping her monitored for 24 hours and they put her leg in a cast. She broke her ankle."

Cheyenne sighed, still worried even though his father words were meant to reassure her, "Did you stay with her last night?"

Brock swallowed hard and nodded, "Yes, I did… on the couch…" He threw in, just to clarify the whole thing.

"Good… thanks dad…" Cheyenne smiled. "But I need you to do something else for me."

"What is it?"

"I need you to stay with her until we are back." Cheyenne said firmly.

Brock felt his forehead get damp with cold sweat. He could do that, he would love to. But how was he supposed to tell Reba?

Reba, in the meantime had gone on eating and was now slowly standing up to get some more orange juice from the fridge. She was sure he could handle the thing with Cheyenne, she didn't need to pay close attention to everything he said.

"Cheyenne, those are three days… you know that is pretty much impossible…" Brock tried to say, swallowing.

"Dad, please… I don't want her to be alone and I can't ask Jake to stay with her all the time… But if you have other stuff to do that is more important than mom, then…" Cheyenne smirked, trying to pull at the right strings that she knew would make him cave.

Brock sighed, "Oh come on, of course nothing is more important… but… you know how hard it will be to convince her, don't you? How am I even supposed to tell her?" He turned around and froze as he saw Reba looking at him with a killer look on her face.

"Tell me what?"

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm so so so so so sorry for the delay! I didn't expect this to be so hard to write, I got totally stuck on the 6th chapter and couldn't find a way to go on. I really hope you enjoy this and it's at least a small thing to make up to you. I promise I'll update more frequently from now on, and thanks for all the nice comments, I really appreciate the support you gave me, guys!**

**A/N 2: I suggest reading the previous chapter before reading this one, unless you've been reading it recently, the beginning of this new chapter is tightly connected to the end of that one.**

* * *

Part 7

"What do you have to tell me?" Reba repeated, looking at Brock intently.

"Erm…I…" Brock gripped the phone tightly and swallowed.

"Dad? She got it, didn't she?" Cheyenne quickly asked, listening to her father's silence.

"Y-yeah…" Brock mumbled. "What should I-"

"Dunno but I gotta go, dad. Love ya!" Cheyenne interrupted him and immediately took her chance to get out of trouble, because she knew how her mother would be after her once she got to know she had come up with the idea of having her father staying at the house.

Brock gasped and stared at the phone in shock, "Our daughter is a whimp!" He exclaimed, looking up at Reba.

She snickered, "She must've gotten it somewhere… Now, what is it you have to tell me?"

Brock swallowed hard again and moved the phone around on the table, trying to think of the right way to say it.

But there would ever be a right way? How was he supposed to tell Reba, one of the strongest and most independent women he knew, and also his ex-wife, how he was supposed to go up to her and say that their daughter thought she would be better off not being alone at the house all the time, but that it would be better if he were there with her at least at night? And how could he tell her that he honestly agreed with Cheyenne and would be willing to stay with her as long as he was needed?

He would do anything to make sure she was okay and if he got to spend extra time with her, he definitely-

"Brock?" Reba's voice made his train of thoughts come to a harsh halt and he looked up to her. "Are you okay?" Reba walked over to the table and sat down next to him.

"Yeah…" He nodded and couldn't help but smile as a cloud of her sweet scent filled the air around her.

She gave him a confused look and a small smile formed on her lips as well, "So, are you going to tell me what you and Cheyenne were talking about?"

"Well…it's…complicated…" Brock's smile faded a little as he took a deep breath and tried to come up with the right words.

"What's complicated?" Reba frowned and leant closer to him.

"Okay, listen… Cheyenne freaked out when she heard about your foot, you know that… and she said something…which I actually agree with…"

Reba sighed, "Just say it, Brock…"

"Cheyenne-wants-me-to-stay-here-with-you." He suddenly rasped out in a strangled voice, pulling back and preparing for the blow that was going to come from the redhead.

Reba just gaped at him and pulled back a little, apparently at a loss for words. Then she reached out all of a sudden and reached for the phone, her eyes shining dangerously.

Having a hint of her intentions, Brock was faster to grab the phone and kept it out of her reach. "Now, Reba, try and calm down a little…" He started to say.

"Calm down?! I am not calming down, I need an explanation… NOW!" She yelled and got up, grabbing her crutches and starting to walk towards the counter as fast as she could.

Brock immediately shot up from his chair and rushed after her, closing his arms around her body to stop her.

He heard her take a deep, trembling breath and smirked to himself. Even when she was angry she would always react that way when she was so close to him.

"Calm down, honey… Please, it's not good for your bloodpressure." He whispered in her ear, trying to soothe her.

Reba shivered involuntarily, unable to contain the sensations rushing through her as his body pressed against hers and his warm breath tickled her ear. She felt her heart start to race and it took all her strength to suppress a soft moan and swallow it before it could escape her lips.

All of this made it cleared and clearer how letting him stay with her wasn't a good idea.

It was never a good idea.

"Don't 'honey' me…" She weakly protested.

"Cheyenne only worries about you…" He ignored her and kept on murmuring into her ear, trying to get her to cave.

"I still don't think it's a good idea…" She tried to argue but she already felt herself starting to give in: he knew exactly the buttons to push.

"Three days won't kill you… I promise you won't even see me, I'll just be there if you need me." Brock whispered and smiled as he couldn't help taking in her scent with every breath he took.

He moved his head slightly and she squirmed a little when his breath caressed the side of her neck.

She knew it was already an awkward situation as it was and letting him stay with her for three days wouldn't make it any better. But Cheyenne wouldn't leave her alone otherwise, and it felt so good to be close to Brock again.

Maybe too good, that's why it was so wrong.

"Fine…" Reba mumbled in a trembling, husky voice, and she blushed at the sound of it, well knowing Brock knew exactly why and when her voice used to sound like this.

"What did you say?" Brock smirked at the sound of her voice and inhaled her scent deeply, fighting the urge to press her more into him as his hands slid down her arms to stop at her hips.

Reba let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, thinking for a crazy moment that all she wanted right now was turning around and kiss him like there was no tomorrow.

"I said fine…" She murmured instead, "You can stay here…" Her voice trailed away as she unconsciously leant into him, savouring the feel of his whole body pressed against hers.

Then she suddenly froze, as something pressed into her lower body, telling her just how wrong it was to have him there.

Startled by the way Reba's head shot up again, and trying to hide the obvious bulge in his pants, Brock stepped back a little, quickly removing his hands from her hips before she could realize just what was happening and kill him.

"I…gotta go…get some clothes at the condo…to stay here the weekend…" He stammered and blushed as he hastily turned around and almost ran to the back door.

"NO! I-"

He was gone before Reba could even start.

"Craaaaap!" She exclaimed and sighed, sitting back down at the table and pressing her forehead on it, feeling the strong urge to slap herself for being so weak to his requests.

If just being that close to him caused her to react like that, how was she supposed to survive three days alone with him?

---

Getting into his car as fast as he could, Brock shut the door and locked it, leaning heavily against the back of his seat.

What an embarrassing moment!

He didn't mean to loosen up that much, he just wanted to convince her but couldn't help taking his chance to tease her a little at the same time.

He just didn't think it would get that far.

He sighed as he looked down at his pants and rubbed a hand over his face in despair. He'd better learn how to control himself if he wanted to survive those few days with Reba.

Nothing like this was supposed to happen.

Ever again.


End file.
